hanger-on

hang·er-on

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [hang-er on, awn]
- /ˈhæŋ ər ɒn, ɔn/
- /ˈhæŋ.ər ɒn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hang-er on, awn]
- /ˈhæŋ ər ɒn, ɔn/

Definitions of hanger-on word

noun plural hanger-on a person who remains in a place or attaches himself or herself to a group, another person, etc., although not wanted, especially in the hope or expectation of personal gain. 1
noun hanger-on self-interested follower 1
countable noun hanger-on If you describe someone as a hanger-on, you are critical of them because they are trying to be friendly with a richer or more important person, especially in order to gain an advantage for themselves. 0
noun hanger-on a sycophantic follower or dependant, esp one hoping for personal gain 0
noun hanger-on a follower or dependent 0
noun hanger-on a person who joins another, some group, etc. although not wanted 0

See all 7 definitions of hanger-on

Information block about the term

Origin of hanger-on

First appearance:

before 1540

One of the 30% oldest English words

1540-50; noun use of verb phrase hang on; see -er1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Hanger-on

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Hanger-on

hanger-on popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 40% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

Synonyms for hanger-on

noun hanger-on

lackey — A servant, esp. a liveried footman or manservant.
dependent — To be dependent on something or someone means to need them in order to succeed or be able to survive.
freeloader — to take advantage of others for free food, entertainment, etc.
parasite — an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment.
sycophant — a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

All 11 Synonyms of hanger-on